Following Our Ancestor's Trails

Getting started following your ancestor's trails is the easiest part; you start with yourself. You can grow your research as large as you want, from simply direct ancestors to hundreds and even thousands of cousins. The more I research the more I'm convinced we're all related at some point. Actually we are, we're all part of God's plan from Adam and Eve on. A good genealogy computer program will help keep your research organized and easy to work with. A file box and folders for keeping hard copies of documents you have found is also a good idea. If you are lucky enough to still have your grandparents; great nobody better loves to talk about family than your grandparents. I unfortunately didn't get interested in genealogy till after my parents had passed away, so I had to get my information hunting through public records right away. I missed out on a lot of stories about my family that friends of mine had about theirs. After you've entered your direct information either in your computer program or in genealogy forms, (follow my link at the end and I'll show you where to get forms for free) it's time to branch out by exploring public records. The first place I started to look for records was at my local genealogy society. Your local public library might have a genealogy section or know where the nearest genealogy society is. There're two good places to start, most societies are very helpful and will direct you to other places to find records about your family. The next place I went was to the local court house, you'll find marriage, divorce, land, will, and trial records there. Go to the clerk of court's office and they will be glad to help, they handle the very sensitive documents for copying but you can usually search the records yourself. Next place I visited was the local Family History Center, they are operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints. The Family History Center has access to a large collection of public records microfilmed and held at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City. I have links with more tips and information on my website at http://www.ancestorstrails.yolasite.com to help you find your ancestor's trails.